Czech Contemporary Circus Showcase ^expired Free

The Czech Contemporary Circus Showcase is a curated selection of Czech contemporary-circus projects. On April 26 – 30, the www.czechcircusshowcase.cz ONLINE platform will offer 20 projects by 17 Czech circus artists selected by a jury based on a previous open call for applications.
The Showcase is designed predominantly for Czech and international promoters, art directors, journalists, critics and representatives of cultural organizations who will be offered the best of Czech contemporary circus.

The new generation of circus artists brings new artistic challenges and impulses while the household names of the Czech contemporary-circus scene keep producing new performances and advancing their art. As the current situation makes it impossible for the to present their work domestically or abroad, the organizers of the Czech Contemporary Circus Showcase have decided to support them with a comprehensive online showcase. "The Czech contemporary-circus scene is very dynamic in its evolution and transformations. It currently offers a broad range of shows and projects which we believe to be competitive on the global stage. The new creations include small-scale innovative experimental projects as well as spectacular shows. Our goal is to underscore the great diversity and professional qualities of Czech contemporary-circus artists. I am convinced that every promoter can find a project they can be a success at their festival or in their theater. I believe that a comprehensive curated showcase will help our circus artists start cooperating with new Czech and international promoters," states Šárka Maršíková, art director of CIRQUEON.

The projects and artists featured in the Showcase were selected by a five-member jury whose members were cultural journalist Veronika Štefanová, art director of the Za dveřmi festival of street arts, director of the Letní Letná festival Jiří Turek, co-founder of the Jatka78 theater Štěpán Kubišta and the art director of CIRQUEON Šárka Maršíková. "From the 37 applications, we selected 20 projects which are either finished productions or examples of work in progress nearing their premiere and searching for partners, residencies and touring opportunities. These 20 projects testify to the rapid recent development of the Czech contemporary-circus scene. The range of circus techniques is expanding – acrobatics, aerial acrobatics, clown acts but also juggling and object manipulation are among today's most progressive circus disciplines. The Czech circus scene has been significantly advanced by graduates of professional circus schools who not only possess perfect skills but also bring completely new approaches to artistic research and concepts of contemporary circus. The years they have spent in contact with European circus artists has paid off," says Maršíková.

The online videos of the Czech Contemporary Circus Showcase can be watched after completing a free registration on the Showcase website. For five days, registered viewers will be able to watch the full shows, visit artists' rehearsal spaces through short videos, and listen to interviews with the artists. The program also offers real-time Zoom meetings. Tuesday afternoon will bring a live talk show with all the featured artists hosted by Veronika Štefanová entitled Czech Circus Talk and on Thursday, there will be live online encounters with the artists also on Zoom. The primary language of the Showcase is English.